When I shoe-horned Irma into the 130, it was partly because she was the one in whom most interest was expressed when I opened a Who Should I Write About? thread. I know she is not remotely 'canon', but she fucking well ought to be, and I would dearly like to spread around the love I have for what, on balance, is the greatest of all soul vocalists by some distance. However, I've been on holiday, I'm not well, this is late, and I've had a disappointingly muted response to most of my threads on the 130 that have dealt with soul or singles artists from the Sixties, which has convinced me, if the 60s cup hadn't, that very few of you share my tastes, so for now I'm just going to list a few things and embed a couple of youtubes and maybe come back to it later if I get better. Irma Thomas was born in Louisiana in 1941. She is still performing and recording today (and looking really well on it for a 73-year-old who was twice divorced and a mother of four when she made her first record, the bluesy You Can Have My Husband, But Please Don't Mess With Man at the age of 19 on a local New Orleans label. That was a hit, and she was signed to Minit, which had national distribution, and began to announce herself with some beautiful early soul / pop singles, the perennially anthologized It's Raining and Ruler of My Heart, as well as the lesser known, but equally good Two Winters Long and It's Too Soon to Know.I knew nothing of this until much later – I'm pretty sure none of her early Minit singles were picked up for release in the UK – with my introduction coming after Minit was gobbled up by Imperial (released here on Liberty) and she had her first and only top 20 pop hit with the sublime Wish Someone Would Care, which she also wrote, in 1964, aged 23. (The backing group vocals are by Darlene Love and the Blossoms)

On the B-side was Break-A-Way, later murdered by Tracey Ullman. This set a trend: the next eight singles she released were all double-sided gems, the best run of singles by anyone, ever, particularly the three that followed in 1964. They include soul anthems, deep blues, up-tempo R&B pop, even a James Brown answer record (the weakest of the lot). She had a brilliant band, excellent material (some self-penned), and, as I mentioned before, the best set of pipes in the business. I'm not going to embed them, there's too many, look for yourself. This is the runAnyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)/ Time Is on My SideTimes Have Changed /Moments To RememberHe's My Guy / (I Want A) True, True LoveSome Things You Never Get Used To / You Don't Miss A Good ThingI'm Gonna Cry Till My Tears Run Dry / Nobody Wants To Hear Nobody's TroublesIt's Starting To Get To Me Now / Hurt's All GoneTake A Look / What Are You Trying To DoIt's a Man's-Woman's World (parts 1 and 2)Later in 1964, early 1965, I joined her short-lived fan club (the only time I ever did this for anyone) which was set up by Dave Godin, and I've been astonishing people with those singles ever since. I created at least a dozen die-hard fans.

After this, she made some OK singles for Chess and some small labels, then retired back to New Orleans where she performed regularly at a club she opened, The Lion's Den, which was closed by Hurricane Katrina. In the 1980s, she returned to performing outside NO more regularly, in gospel and secular styles, and began making albums (most of her previous ones were singles plus filler – very good filler mind) for Rounder Records, winning a Grammy at age 65 for one of them in 2006. These are all fine albums, and by Dog she has retained more of her voice intro late middle and old age than most, but it's the singles and the rest of the early singles that really count for me. For albums, I'd recommend her first, Wish Someone Would Care, or the later compilation Time Is On My Side. Take a Look is excellent, too, but I've never found a less than good track with her name on it.

Here she shows Otis Redding how it's done

And while looking for that, a found this: 70 plus, producing a live performance of Forever Young that knocks my socks off.

In timeless moments we live forever

You can't play a tune on an absolute

Negative Capability...when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact & reason”

I didn't hear Irma Thomas until I started collecting New Orleans records in the late-70's. I was lucky enough to find an LP copy of Wish Someone Would Care.

Her early records were great.

I will give a shout to In Between Tears, the Swamp Dogg-produced album. It's frustrating because it was unfinished and the Coming From Behind/Wish Someone Would Care jam is just a basic track that Jerry Williams Jr. had planned to edit and arrange. He "finished" the album at one point, overdubbing horrible 90's drumming and other affronts. The current CD reissue includes her non-LP Canyon single, We Won't Be In Your Way Anymore b/w I'll Do It All Over You. The A-side is great.

I saw Irma a couple of times during her Rounder period and they were excellent performances.

["Minnie the Stalker"]The first time that we met I knew I was going to make him mine.

Muskrat wrote:She was on Atlantic long enough for this to sneak out; deserved better.

I agree that that is a lovely track, but she never actually signed to Atlantic as such: she recorded that for Cotillion, a southern soul subsidiary of the label (which also featured the VU - go figure), and it was released on UK Atlantic, which was owned by Decca, a label set up to feature anything released stateside by Atlantic or its sister labels.

In timeless moments we live forever

You can't play a tune on an absolute

Negative Capability...when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, Mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact & reason”

Rayge wrote:I know she is not remotely 'canon', but she fucking well ought to be, and I would dearly like to spread around the love I have for what, on balance, is the greatest of all soul vocalists by some distance.

I've always ranked her right there as well.

Even her less inspired stuff - e.g., the Cotillion recordings - still has merit. And her run on Rounder, starting in '86, is a lot better than I would have expected it to be, considering how many of her '60s peers have floundered during the same time.

And if y'all ever get the chance to see her live, do - she always puts on a great show. Every year at Jazzfest, she'll do a set in the gospel tent, which is a real treat, as you don't normally get to hear her tackle that material.

John aka Josh wrote:Nothing to add, she is a top singer and made many superb sides. Thanks for the write up Rayge.

Yeah, about all I can say as well. She's another artist (Nina Simone, another Rayge write-up, has the same effect on me) where I love just about everything I've heard but don't really have a sense of the career-arc so I'm still figuring out what my favorite stuff is.

I do love the one 'skope posted, as well as this one:

What an odd little song.

Jimbo wrote:My point is to save the world from WWIII.

Jimbo wrote:Trump is right. The collusion conspiracy theory has been debunked and you seem to refuse to look at the evidence.

don't like the guide bleeps on some tracks on the early charly minit comp, they wrote that it was for the sake of completeness, but i'd rather have done without. i do collect her on all labels, and was lucky to see her perform live.

"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck

GoogaMooga wrote:don't like the guide bleeps on some tracks on the early charly minit comp, they wrote that it was for the sake of completeness, but i'd rather have done without. i do collect her on all labels, and was lucky to see her perform live.

GoogaMooga wrote:don't like the guide bleeps on some tracks on the early charly minit comp, they wrote that it was for the sake of completeness, but i'd rather have done without. i do collect her on all labels, and was lucky to see her perform live.

Googs, I admire your broad universality.

From James Last to Roger Whittaker to Irma Thomas - and back again.

One day, you will own every record ever made.

i just collect the tip, but i did choose the biggest iceberg i could find!

"When the desert comes, people will be sad; just as Cannery Row was sad when all the pilchards were caught and canned and eaten." - John Steinbeck